Exhibit 1: Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian PM
He complimented Mara Carfagna, a former TV “showgirl” & a deputy for his Forza Italia party, saying: “Just look at her — if I was not married I would marry her at once.” When Aida Yespica, a voluptuous television presenter, leant across and told him she would “love to go to a desert island with you” he replied: “I would go with you anywhere.”
His fed-up wife Veronica then came up with a public demand for apology on the front page of a newspaper: “I .. ask my husband ... for a public apology since I have not received a private one, and ... I ... consider myself to be ‘half of nothing’”.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2577544,00.html
Exhibit 2: Hakuo Yanagisawa, Japan's health minister
"Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can do is ask them to do their best per head .." (He's referring to women, the chivalrous chappie!)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,,2001056,00.html
Exhibit 3: Prez/General Parvez Musharraf of Pakistan
He offers this pearl of wisdom to Washington Post.
Rape has become a "moneymaking concern" in Pakistan and that many Pakistanis felt it was an easy way to make money and get a Canadian visa.
Of course he immediately denies this the next day! But clever WP posts the audio interview on their site.
Interview:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091800554.html
Audio Excerpt of Prez Musharraf's comment:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/audio/2005/09/23/AU2005092301278.html
Read more!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Friday, February 02, 2007
Raindrops
कालिदास is describing पार्वती who's meditating hard to win Lord Shiva, in this श्लोक:
"StithaaH xa.Nam paxmasu taaDita-adharaaH payodhara-utsedhanipaata-chur.Nitaavaleeshu tasyaaH skhalitaaH prapedire chire.N naabhim prathama-oda-bindavaH"
The above shloka rearranged as prose:
"Prathama-oda-bindavaH tasyaaH paxmasu xa.Nam stithaaH taaDita-adharaaHpayodhara-utsedhanipaata-chur.Nitaa valeeshu skhalitaaH chire.N naabhim prapedire"
Literal word-by-word meaning:
prathama-oda-bindavaH = first water drop
tasyaaH = her
paxmasu = on eyelids
xa.Nam = momentarily
stithaaH = stayed
taaDita-adharaaH = fell on the lips
payodhara-utsedhanipaata-chur.Nitaa = shattered on hard breasts
valeeshu = in the tri-valley (triple fold on the belly, a mark of beauty)
skhalitaaH = slid
chire.N = in a long time
naabhim = in the navel
prapedire = disappeared
Translation:
The first drop of rain stayed momentarily on her eyelids, slid down to her lips, shattered on her hard breasts and trickled across her triple fold, and after an eternity disappeared in her navel.
The use of time is lyrical and almost hypnosing!
Acknowledgement to Shashikant Joshi for the literal translation, at this site:
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kalidas.html Read more!
"StithaaH xa.Nam paxmasu taaDita-adharaaH payodhara-utsedhanipaata-chur.Nitaavaleeshu tasyaaH skhalitaaH prapedire chire.N naabhim prathama-oda-bindavaH"
The above shloka rearranged as prose:
"Prathama-oda-bindavaH tasyaaH paxmasu xa.Nam stithaaH taaDita-adharaaHpayodhara-utsedhanipaata-chur.Nitaa valeeshu skhalitaaH chire.N naabhim prapedire"
Literal word-by-word meaning:
prathama-oda-bindavaH = first water drop
tasyaaH = her
paxmasu = on eyelids
xa.Nam = momentarily
stithaaH = stayed
taaDita-adharaaH = fell on the lips
payodhara-utsedhanipaata-chur.Nitaa = shattered on hard breasts
valeeshu = in the tri-valley (triple fold on the belly, a mark of beauty)
skhalitaaH = slid
chire.N = in a long time
naabhim = in the navel
prapedire = disappeared
Translation:
The first drop of rain stayed momentarily on her eyelids, slid down to her lips, shattered on her hard breasts and trickled across her triple fold, and after an eternity disappeared in her navel.
The use of time is lyrical and almost hypnosing!
Acknowledgement to Shashikant Joshi for the literal translation, at this site:
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kalidas.html Read more!
The line
The wise man took a piece of wood in his hand and drew a straight line on the ground. He then asked the gathering,"Can you make this line shorter without touching it?"
Read more!
Best Will
In an earlier post, I had made an effort to "bury George Best, not to praise him", to paraphrase old Will.
Speaking of which, George Best's will has been released, in which he leaves just one watch to his son Calum, everything else to his sister Barbara, and nothing at all for his 2 ex-wives or his other 3 siblings.
We are told that this is "a commemorative designer watch from the 1994 World Cup".
So why did this one particular sister get favoured over the others? Well, as her lawyer tell us, "Barbara McNarry was named as the key beneficiary in part because she oversees a memorial fund in Best's honor and was most involved in promoting his legacy."
To end with another of the Bard's quotes: "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones." Read more!
Speaking of which, George Best's will has been released, in which he leaves just one watch to his son Calum, everything else to his sister Barbara, and nothing at all for his 2 ex-wives or his other 3 siblings.
We are told that this is "a commemorative designer watch from the 1994 World Cup".
So why did this one particular sister get favoured over the others? Well, as her lawyer tell us, "Barbara McNarry was named as the key beneficiary in part because she oversees a memorial fund in Best's honor and was most involved in promoting his legacy."
To end with another of the Bard's quotes: "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones." Read more!
Baby shortage in China
China? Short of babies?
I read this article today by a lady called Beth Nonte Russell which amused me. Apparently China has put in force new strict foreigner adoption laws (probably fearing the Jolie invasion into China!) because they claim they lack "available" babies to meet the "spike" in demand.
So what are the new criteria for hopeful foreign parents who want a nice little chinky-eyed baby? Well, you have to be married for one (no single parents/divorcees please!), be married for at least 5 years in fact, neither of the prospective parents should be over the age of 50, should have a minimum net worth (read bank balance!) of US$ 80,000, AND should have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of not more than 40!
China is really selective, isn't it? They want nothing but the very best of healthy wealthy happily married foster parents for their orphaned babies! :-) Read more!
I read this article today by a lady called Beth Nonte Russell which amused me. Apparently China has put in force new strict foreigner adoption laws (probably fearing the Jolie invasion into China!) because they claim they lack "available" babies to meet the "spike" in demand.
So what are the new criteria for hopeful foreign parents who want a nice little chinky-eyed baby? Well, you have to be married for one (no single parents/divorcees please!), be married for at least 5 years in fact, neither of the prospective parents should be over the age of 50, should have a minimum net worth (read bank balance!) of US$ 80,000, AND should have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of not more than 40!
China is really selective, isn't it? They want nothing but the very best of healthy wealthy happily married foster parents for their orphaned babies! :-) Read more!
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